Category: Uncategorized

A few weeks ago, I received an offer of employment from Google. I’ll be working in the Google Waterloo office, currently located in the Tannery building in downtown Kitchener. It’s a pretty cool office, which I’ve visited several times now for various interviews and meetings.

I’ve worked for small and medium-sized companies before, but before this, the largest company I’ve worked for was Research in Motion (since renamed to BlackBerry), although they’re not as big as they were at their zenith. Google will easily surpass that, but it seems that the culture is in many ways, more like some of the smaller companies that I’ve worked for.

Yesterday was the last day at my current job. While it’s sad to see it go, new opportunities await. Automation control software can be quite challenging, but there isn’t as much emphasis on user interface and user experience as I would like. Still, in the end, it’s a big change.

How many times in the past few years have you heard news reports about the oncoming storm that will shut down all roads and highways, and keep everyone inside until the plows can finally dig you out? How many times has the promise of a day home from work and school been left unfulfilled, with only some light snow in place?

These days, the news reports gleefully foretell the oncoming Snowpocalypse, or a weather front about to bring Stormageddon unto us all. It seems all the weather channels want to talk about, and it carries over to radio morning shows. In some areas of North America, this is sometimes taken to ludicrous lengths:

Obviously, media coverage isn’t a sure sign of snow, just as the lack of this coverage isn’t necessarily a sign that it isn’t coming. So what’s the best way to decide if it’s really worth going out on the roads, or if it’s time to batten the hatches and stay at home? There are a few good resources that can help you judge for yourself.

Try looking outside at the street. If you live on a side street which isn’t yet plowed, it may not indicate what the major roads are like, but if it looks like your car isn’t getting down the street, it’s best to stay put.

Radar maps. This shows what kind of snowfall is currently happening in your region. Most weather sites provide a forecast, where the track of the storm is extrapolated, so you can see where the storm is likely to hit. What kind of intensity is it? Light, steady snow for hours and hours, or a short but intense dumping over just a few hours? Is it a widespread system, or narrow?

Twitter. Hashtags such as #onstorm can give general information on the storm, but it’s likely that people you follow are also talking about it. They may provide useful advice as to current road conditions. Local news and traffic radio stations also post information regarding accidents and road closures.

Remember that it’s not just snow to be concerned about. Extreme icy conditions can occur without vast quantities of snow.

If you are out and about in dangerous road conditions, try slowing down a bit. It’s extremely likely that all those cars in ditches weren’t taking the conditions into account with their driving. Give yourself lots of space to stop.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go clear the snow from my driveway. Again.

Every year in November, I make an effort to watch at least some of the Band of Brothers series. It’s not a perfect series, but it stands as a reminder of the human cost paid by those serving in the war.

This year, I watched episode 9, “Why We Fight”. In this episode, Easy Company liberates one of the satellite work camps around the Dachau concentration camp. There is some artistic license in place: Easy Company did not liberate any of the camps, although they did see Dachau after it was liberated. It’s a very emotional episode.

Two Hard Things

There are only two hard things in computer science. Cache invalidation, naming things, and off-by-one errors.

I was reminded of this quote recently, as I had a wrapper object which exposed a property with the same name as a property in the contained object, but which is slightly different. It’s actually the value contained in a different property.

Like this:

I’ve always been more of a fan of the Batman, than of Superman. Even the angst teenaged Spider-man seems more engaging than Supes.

I’m by no means a comic geek. Most of my exposure to these franchises has been through film and television. Admittedly, it’s been many years since I actually watched one of the Superman films, and I don’t think that I’ve made much effort to watch Superman Returns.

As a kid, I think the only Superman comics I read were the Death of Superman series, back in 1993. The fall of Superman made him more than just vulnerable. At the time, this seemed shocking, that the impervious hero could be brought down.